1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an apparatus for stabilizing artificial Christmas or decorative trees. More specifically, the present invention provides stability at the base of an artificial tree by providing a tighter fit within a sleeve of the base.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the art to provide artificial trees for decoration. Such trees are equipped with a base and stand such that the tree is free-standing. Some stands include feet, and some are simply circular. Most of the prior art devices include a base piece wherein one end fits around the trunk of the artificial tree and the other end fits into the stand. Many of these base pieces are simply hollow cylinders and some are integrally associated with the stand.
In the prior art, the circumference of the base piece or hollow cylinder had to be of such a size that not only the trunk of the artificial tree could be inserted, but also any parts that needed to be associated with or aligned with the trunk. For example, bark if the trunk is wood or some other substance if the trunk is not; optical fibers if they are to be distributed in various parts of the tree; electric or light cords; or brackets for low branches. As the circumference of the base piece was increased to accommodate these other parts, the stability of the tree was severely impaired by the give and softness such pieces introduced between the trunk and the inside surface of the base piece.
The present invention differs from the above referenced inventions and others similar in that these prior devices do not provide a way to allow for the parts that need to be associated with the trunk of the tree without sacrificing the tree""s stability. Therefore, it is one objective of the present invention to accommodate associated parts separately from the trunk. It is a second objective of the present invention to increase the stability of a decorative tree.
The present invention provides stability for a decorative tree having a base part, the lower section of which fits into a stand assembly. An upper section of the base part includes receiving means for an internal sleeve which is sized to receive a tree trunk and is formed to provide a plurality of clearances to accommodate parts associated with the trunk of the decorative tree. Generally, said means to receive the trunk is a hollow cylinder with inner and outer surfaces and of a size into which said trunk fits snugly. Said plurality of clearances are bounded by a plurality of protrusions on the outer surface of the internal sleeve and the inner surface of the base part. By separating the parts to be associated with said trunk from the trunk by using said plurality of protrusions and clearances, and by providing means to receive and snugly fit the trunk, the stability of the entire decorative tree is vastly improved
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated from the following description. The description makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which are provided for illustration of the preferred embodiment. However, such embodiment does not represent the full scope of the invention. The subject matter which the inventor does regard as his invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of this specification.